JUST WATCHED

$18.7B settlement announced from Deepwater Horizon oil spill

MUST WATCH

$18.7B settlement announced from Deepwater Horizon oil spill03:24

Washington (CNN)BP has reached a historic agreement with five Gulf States to settle the claims made against the company from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, resulting in the largest environmental settlement in history.

Political figures from the states involved, as well as Attorney General Loretta Lynch spoke out in favor of the deal Thursday morning.

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Eleven men were killed when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20, 2010. Five years later, their families -- mothers, fathers, siblings, wives and children -- soldier on without them and hold tight to their memories. Click through the gallery to learn more about each man.

Hide Caption

1 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Jason Anderson (Midfield, Texas) – Anderson was 35. His daughter, Lacy, was 5 when he died. His son, Ryver, was 1. In a victim impact statement to a judge filed in January 2013, Anderson's wife, Shelley, described his absence in their lives: "It is grueling for me to tuck my daughter in bed and read her a story while my son is crying in the other room because mommy can only do one thing at a time and daddy is not home to help. ... Jason was planning to walk his little girl down the aisle on her wedding day, to dance the father-of-the-bride dance, to teach her to 'boom a deer.' ... He won't be holding my hand for any of the events in her life ever again."

Hide Caption

2 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Dale Burkeen (Philadelphia, Mississippi) – Burkeen, 37, was a crane operator on Deepwater Horizon for 10 years. He was survived by his wife, Rhonda; his daughter, Aryn; and his son, Timothy. "The day of the explosion was Dale's wedding anniversary," his mother, Mary Burkeen, wrote in a victim impact statement. "The rig sank on my birthday, and Dale's birthday was April 24th. ... That is a week in April in which I will always be reminded of tragedy and loss -- a reminder that will take place each and every year for the rest of my life."

Hide Caption

3 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Donald Clark (Newelton, Louisiana) – Clark, 49, was an assistant driller who spent a decade with the Transocean company. He was survived by his wife, Sheila, and four children: James, Krystal, Donald Jr. and Tandrea. He was remembered by colleagues as a gentle, soft-spoken man with an excellent work ethic.

Hide Caption

4 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Stephen Curtis (Georgetown, Louisiana) – Curtis, 39, was an assistant driller on the Deepwater Horizon. He was survived by his wife, Nancy; his daughter, Kala; and his son, Treavor. Treavor and his father "had a special father-son bond," Treavor's mother, Sissy Curtis, wrote in a victim impact statement. "His father was his hero, his life and his everything." Stephen and Treavor loved hunting, fishing, baseball and watching NASCAR. Treavor recently wrote on his Facebook page: "Going to climb a tree in the a.m. and be where I feel closest to my Dad."

Hide Caption

5 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Gordon Jones (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) – Jones, 28, was a drilling fluids specialist. He was survived by his wife, Michelle, and two sons, Stafford and Maxwell. Maxwell was born a few weeks after his father's death. "We work together so that his children will never forget who Gordon was," his sister, Kathleen Goodlife, wrote in a victim impact statement. "He was extremely funny with an obnoxiously contagious laugh. He had a way to make anyone feel welcome no matter their background. He really was an outstanding guy."

Hide Caption

6 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Wyatt Kemp (Jonesville, Louisiana) – Kemp, 27, was a derrickhand aboard the Deepwater Horizon. He was survived by his wife, Courtney, and two daughters, Kaylee and Maddison. Kaylee had turned 3 on April 17, three days before the tragedy, "and we were waiting for her daddy to come home to have her birthday party," wrote her mother in a victim impact statement. Maddison was just 3 months old at the time. "Wyatt's memory will live on in our hearts, and through pictures, and the stories I tell our girls almost daily. I have kept pictures up in our house so Maddi will always know her daddy's face. Kaylee and I have dreams of Wyatt."

Hide Caption

7 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Karl Kleppinger Jr. (Natchez, Mississippi) – Kleppinger, 38, was a floorhand who had worked with Transocean for 10 years. He was also a military veteran who served in the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm. He was survived by his wife, Tracy, and his son, Aaron. Kleppinger loved NASCAR, according to Steven Newman, president and CEO of Transocean.

Hide Caption

8 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Blair Manuel (Gonzales, Louisiana) – Manuel, 56, was a senior drilling fluids specialist. He was survived by his fiancee and three daughters. "My dad was not only the best father ever, but still after being in my 30s, was a man that I called a friend," wrote one of his daughters, Jessica, in a victim impact statement. "My world has been rocked badly. I am not the same person. My baby boy ... will never know the love of his grandfather." One of his best friends said Manuel's credo for life was the four Fs: fun, family, friends and faith.

Hide Caption

9 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Dewey Revette (State Line, Mississippi) – Revette, 48, was chief driller on the oil rig. He was survived by his wife, Sherri, and two daughters, Andrea and Alicia. He was a family man, fisherman, deer hunter. He adored his girls, and his wife says he never watched a movie his entire life -- too many largemouth bass to catch. He had just walked his oldest daughter, Andrea, down the aisle at her wedding. "That was our first thought when all this happened," Sherri said a few months after the rig explosion. "Our youngest child won't get that."

Hide Caption

10 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Shane Roshto (Liberty, Mississippi) – Roshto, 22, was a floorhand who joined Transocean in 2006. He was deeply devoted to his wife, Natalie, and his son, Michael. On the inside of his hard hat, he wrote down two dates -- his wedding day and his son's birthday -- to get him through tough times.

Hide Caption

11 of 12

Photos:Deepwater Horizon victims

Adam Weise (Yorktown, Texas) – At 24, Weise was the second youngest to die and the only one who did not have children. He was a floorhand and drove 10 hours every three weeks to work on the rig. Every time Adam left, his mother said he'd tell her, "I'm working for your retirement, Mom." Arleen Weise clings to memories of her fun-loving son. He would hide in the bushes at the local golf club and blow an air horn when golfers hit mid-swing. When he was a boy, she kissed him on the school bus in front of his classmates. "That's OK," Adam said when they teased him, "because I love my momma."

Hide Caption

12 of 12

"Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill -- the largest environmental disaster in our nation's history -- the Justice Department has been fully committed to holding BP accountable, to achieving justice for the American people and to restoring the environment and the economy of the Gulf region at the expense of those responsible and not the American taxpayer," Lynch said in a statement released by the Department of Justice.

According to a statement released by Louisiana's Gov. Bobby Jindal, the full agreement totals approximately $18.732 billion. Of that amount, Louisiana will receive more than $6.8 billion from the settlement, bringing the state's total recovery from the disaster to approximately $10 billion.

Read More

"Five years ago my administration committed to holding BP accountable for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Today, through extensive coordination with the Attorney General's office and the State's coastal authorities, we've made good on that promise," Jindal said.

Alabama will receive approximately $2.3 billion according to Gov. Robert Bentley's twitter. The tweets state the money will be used to facilitate coastal restoration projects and cover statewide economic damages Alabama suffered.

The total value of the Agreement in Principle is approx. $18.5 Billion. Alabama's share of this agreement is approximately $2.3 Billion.

"If approved by the court, this settlement would be the largest settlement with a single entity in American history; it would help repair the damage done to the Gulf economy, fisheries, wetlands and wildlife; and it would bring lasting benefits to the Gulf region for generations to come," Lynch said.

Although the agreement was announced on Thursday, it is still not finalized. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest environmental disaster in the United States' history. Eleven people were killed, and in November 2012, BP pleaded guilty to 11 felony manslaughter charges, as well as environmental crimes and obstruction of Congress. BP was sentenced to paying $4 billion from the initial charges.